


Free Love Revival

by orphan_account



Series: Du erkennst mich nicht wieder [2]
Category: Last Shadow Puppets
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - 1960s, Big Gay Love Story, Briefly mentioned Alex/Alexa, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Secret Relationship, Still a hopeful ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:41:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28041075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Alex Turner and Miles Kane, the two musicians known for their rivalry and distaste for each other during their youth back in the 60s, were found out to be secret lovers. Their music, previously unreleased, has finally come to see the light under the name The Last Shadow Puppets. This is a preface of a new book that compiled all the clues for their relationship witnessed by strangers and non-strangers, a glimpse of a quiet, epic romance.
Relationships: Miles Kane/Alex Turner
Series: Du erkennst mich nicht wieder [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2081118
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	Free Love Revival

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Not real, don't sue.
> 
> Inspired by this lovely fanart by my friend: https://u2333.tumblr.com/post/637218838433415168

**Free Love Revival**

Since you have picked up this book, I guess you already know this year we’re blessed with music sent from the past - over 20 tunes from a mysterious group, covered in dust but made of pure prodigies: The two previously unreleased records from The Last Shadow Puppets.

The band was brought to life by a pair we would have never guessed - Alex Turner and Miles Kane. Known for his rivalry with Turner, Kane had never publicly expressed his admiration for Turner’s band Arctic Monkeys, nor did Kane ever recognize Turner’s genius in the extensive music projects he had made shine. For a good amount of time, their distaste for each other was one of the most beloved titbits for any gossip press. One would not expect to find those two lads sitting knee-to-knee, playing guitars and writing songs together. Afterall, they weren’t best mates. The letters from Turner’s old study room can certainly confirm that, because people don’t just write to their friend and declare they’d rather go to jail if they weren’t allowed to kiss under the sun. Those letters continued to pile up until the very last week of Kane’s life, survived the dark days when loving someone could be a heinous crime. They were no enemies, but two unfortunate lovebirds caged in a closet.

What a year for us music lovers, and what a way to uncover a hidden romance! All the stories untold are now here for us to listen. I wish not to disturb Mr. Turner, a respectful man who has showed his kind forgiveness for the cleaning worker who accidently let out his dearest secret to the whole world. But a series of lucky coincidences rained down and I had the honour to meet Turner before this book came out.

_“I don’t have anything else to add, really.” he told me, “It’s all in the music.”_

_I’ve showed him what you will be reading in a short minute. Gleaned from a flood of half true, half made-up memoirs, I compiled this testimony of witnesses in vindication of a love Turner and Kane once secretly experienced._

_“I hope you don’t mind me asking…do you remember any of those?”_

_“Some of them, yes.” The man in his 70s glanced up from my manuscript, looking like a boy who just discovered a clandestine treasure trove. The smile then slid from his face as he looked away, probably to somewhere that only existed in his head. “I always thought we were very much secretive.”_

_I’m in no position to console a victim of terrible human nature with my empty words. When I heard the subtle yearning in his voice, I felt deeply sorry for him._

_“Now it’s much better, innit?” said the legendary musician. “No need to be careful.”_

_I wondered if he ever wished to be born into a latter generation. To that, Turner did not offer a straight answer. So instead, I questioned him, “Do you ever regret any of it?”_

_Staring back at me, he retorted with unabashed intensity, which I much admired. Here is Alex Turner’s answer when asked about if he’d choose a different way of life rather than living alone in a cottage as an unmarried man, with the sole company of a bulldog._

_“…regret,” he chuckled with disbelief. “Why would I?”_

+

Following that lovely afternoon in Turner’s backyard, I went on to visit three of those who contributed to this book. Jennet spent her early life in the French countryside, helping her grandparents to run a lovely family hotel. She agreed to meet me in a noisy, lively café in east London, where you can talk without constantly worrying to be overheard by someone behind you. Jennet was waiting for me by the window, dressed in pink suits and a lovely wool hat. I’d kill to look like that 20 years from now. “I almost forgot about it,” the lady started with a shy smile. “It’s been a long time since…”

_Back then Jennet was only 16. Like all other girls in her age, she never considered it a good way to spend the summertime, tiring herself out in the kitchen or the washing room. She specifically remembered the day when Alex and Miles arrived because of the weather. It was the only rainy afternoon in June, and Jennet was told to get some milk from the local food market before it closed._

_She bumped into Alex the second she’s out of the front door. “Sorry,” said the young man in a soft voice. He was carrying a duffel bag in one hand, and a guitar case on the opposite shoulder. “I didn’t see you there.”_

_“It’s alright.” Jennet answered twice. Once in French and again in English. According to her, Alex was almost too polite to be a Rockstar-She didn’t know he was famous until years later._

_“Don’t mind him, he’s just clumsy.” Another voice chipped in from behind. Jennet described Miles as someone who was never quiet for more than a few minutes. “Are you local? We’re looking for this hotel, maybe you know …”_

_It turned out that they were staying at Jennet’s place. She received another apologetic smile from Alex during dinner, once she sat down beside her grandparents to eat. Alex introduced himself afterwards, when she went to collect their dishes. A few more words were exchanged, and that was all it took for her to crush hard on him._

“They stayed for two weeks, doing music and all that. We had a studio in town, but normally we didn’t get people coming from abroad just to record songs.” She explained to me how small that studio was. They only got students recording for school events most of the time. “At night you saw them often in bars. There were quite a few nearby our house, all very nice. We usually got a decent number of tourists. But again, it’s not the busiest season yet.”

“They probably still caught a lot of attention.” I guessed.

Jennet laughed. “A lot, yeah. They didn’t speak French, but Miles with the girls, you can imagine! He would do the wink thing and bow, compliment their dresses and so on. But nothing serious or harmful, he was a bit of a flirt until the drinks arrived. Miles brought most rounds to their table. Alex was not like him. He’s much quieter. We tried to get him to dance and talk, you know. My friends, they knew I was eyeing on him. We had fun. He’s a good dancer as well.”

I was amused by the picture she depicted. “So you guys danced together?”

“Only once. Miles insisted that Alex should make a formal apology for knocking into me by dancing with me to Nina Simone.” Jennet seemed slightly embarrassed by the fact that Alex was clearly in a very tangled, secret relationship with Miles at that time. “I didn’t know about them, not yet.

_Jennet’s bedroom was also on the second floor. For a whole week Alex and Miles were the only ones staying at the hotel, and they were two noisy guests. Sometimes they played the guitar until all the stars were blinking in the sky, and early in the mornings, they broke the tranquil silence with laughter. She would be crazily annoyed, if not for their singing. Even with several thick walls standing in between, Jennet still enjoyed a few private concerts. She even dared herself to ask for a performance over the weekend._

_“You want to see us playing?” Miles guffawed with excitement, while Alex blushed knowingly._

_“Sorry, we were too loud, weren’t we?”_

_“Not in a bad way. Don’t worry.” Jennet explained in a hurry. How she wanted to keep Alex close for the day and to know him better! All she had was the blinking moment of a song, beautifully written, permanently etched in her memory. Alex sang it and Miles played the guitar. He messed up a few chords, possibly on purpose, just to make Alex turn towards him with an adoring frown._

_Alex stared at him, as if he could only sense the existence of Miles in the entire lobby. “Ah, you fucking idiot,” he whispered those ungraceful words affectionately. “Stop it already.”_

_Miles leaned forward and threw him a smirk. “Come on, Al.” he picked on the first string. They exchanged a look, and then resumed to finish the song. The break lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like they were communicating in an encrypted language._

_After they were done, Alex asked her, “How do you like it?”_

_Gone was the coy boy who pondered on each sentence before he asked for room service. Jennet looked into his eyes and saw clearly how proud he was for what they created. She applauded warmly, maybe overly so because of her overflowing admiration for this man._

_“You’re our first audience, Jennet.” Alex told her. There was something fierce and deeply sad in his tone. At that time, she failed to understand why._

“I heard it on radio last month, after all these years.” Jennet pointed out the said song to me. “The time has come again, finally.”

I nodded to her and we both took a moment to appreciate the progress we had achieved over the years. It must be a doom hit for them to fall in love at such a gloomy time. “They seemed quite close in your description. It’s hard to get around the idea, I mean, the media painted them as archenemies.”

“They were like two brothers, really…twins. Thanks to a small town and simple people around.” Jennet said, “I only figured that out because I fantasized about him, and you recognized it when someone shared your pain.”

_The last two days of their stay was hard on Jennet. She wished to have a chat with Alex, nothing more than a friendly goodbye, but he was never left alone. The last night before they left for Paris, she could not fall asleep, thus the walk in the garden. Jennet was about to go upstairs when she heard the iron gate groan, followed by a few giggles and a hush._

_Alex walked over to those long benches sat beneath the laurel, his back facing her direction. From the way he swayed his hips, she could tell he was tipsy. Jennet herself was sitting on the ground, shadowed by patches of roses and creosote, barely two meters from him. Alex didn’t notice her, neither did Miles who fell down on the opposite bench. “We have to stick to plan, Miles. Matt and Ian will meet me in Paris tomorrow night. I can’t stand them up.”_

_“I know.” Miles sounded sober, for some weird reasons. His voice was a tad too loud to be a whisper, but not loud enough to be harsh._

_By then Jennet had already realized she was caught in a conversation that was not supposed to be shared to a third pair of ears. She felt extremely ashamed and nervous but couldn’t risk moving and causing a scene._

_A long moment of silence allured her to peek out from behind the bushes. Alex’s shoulders were hunched, his head lolling sideways. Miles’ face was masked by the shades of the tree. She heard a wet sniff, tailed by a pained plea. “Miles, you know I hate this just as much-”_

_“I understand,” Miles didn’t look up. “It’s the right thing to do.”_

_“Fuck, it’s not right, and it’s not fucking fair!” Alex startled once he realized how his angry grumble had disturbed the quiet night. He deflated all over again. “I just…I wish I had more time with you.”_

_Miles tilted his head up, so that the moonlight revealed his unspoken answer. His eyes fell on Alex with an unabashed devotion in them. Immediately, Jennet knew that **he loved him**._

_And there, Alex shifted clumsily and raised his left foot. He stamped his heel upon the edge of Miles’ bench. It would be just a casual, common gesture, if Miles hadn’t moved marginally to let his knee get closer to Alex’s boot - obvious enough to mean something, but not close enough to be a crime._

_They went back to their rooms soon afterwards, but Jennet stayed. It took a good ten minutes for her heartbeats to slow down to a normal tempo. Once they did, she shoved a thumb into her mouth and silently started to cry._

“In my life, up until that point, I wasn’t familiar with any sorts of advanced ideas.” Said the lady who had now dedicated fifty years of her life to LGBTQ+ social movements. She paused to search for the simplest words. “I happened to be an invader for a pure, sad moment, and somehow it ended up changing my life. All I knew was that it didn’t scare me, they didn’t scare me. Nothing felt evil.”

“The law was evil.” I spoke my mind.

“So was the heartache once I learned this man could never be mine.” Jennet picked up her teacup, smiling slyly. She did recall waving goodbye to them from the kitchen, still not fully recovered from the past fortnight. Later she found out that Alex wrote a thank-you note for the hotel, left on his pillow.

Jennet cracked another joke to wind up our conversation. “I do still have it. Good to know that it’s worth a fortune now!”

+

Unlike Jennet, Jan wasn’t comfortable with seeing me in a public place. We decided to meet at my office. I had biscuits and coffee ready when he arrived. Jan was no more than 10 years older than me. He worked as an apprentice in the north of the Kraichgau before he had his own very successful business.

“I always knew I’d have to talk about it with someone eventually.” Jan greeted me with a handshake and a shaky confession. To my confusion, he admitted, “I’m not proud of what happened that night.”

I promised him that I was not here to judge. His memory dated back to almost half a century ago. It’s enough time for anyone to change.

“I was only a child. My parents sent me to this hut in the forest to learn carpentry. It was a miserable winter. We had the heaviest snow in a decade.” He closed his eyes. “My teacher’s in town to get supplies but got trapped there. I didn’t know. I was waiting by the door for him to come back, you can imagine how excited I was when I heard a noise.”

_The poor, frightened kid jumped up when he heard someone approaching. The snow had stopped two hours ago. Jan checked the clock and saw it was nearly midnight. Thinking it might be his master, Jan buttoned up his coat and decided to welcome him by the door. However, the blurry noise stayed distant, making him fidget._

_The wolves! What if the wolves came back and attacked his teacher? Jan rushed back in for the shotgun. He had never used it against a real beast. In fact, the only time he fired it was at a rabbit. The bunny got away easily and left his master laughing for days. Despite everything, the brave kid took the gun and wandered into the forest, to the direction of voices. To his delight, a few minutes later, even before his boots got wet, he could see a warm light a few yards ahead of him._

_Jan ran. He’s short of breath, therefore, he did not call out for his teacher. It took him by total surprise when he recognized two figures behind the trees. One of them was holding an oil lamp, giving out the light that had drawn Jan here._

_On the snow-swallowed path, there were two young man in their twenties, both wrapped in thick long coats. They were clearly not from anywhere nearby, although the tourist season was still two months away. Jan learned English from his Dad, so he could understand them._

“They were talking about something like, making a music video in the woods, with all the snow and some tanks.” Jan told me.

I had to ask, “Tanks?”

He shook his head with a tight smile. “I know, some strange ideas they got. I almost thought they were Nazis, but then one of them started to sing this song, Saigon Bride by Joan Baez, that’s how I knew they weren’t. The song had just come out that year, was my mum’s favourite song at that time.”

_It was Alex who was singing Joan Baez. He held the oil lamp up high, swung back and urged Miles to join him. The taller man shrugged, “I don’t know this song, Al.”_

_Miles did not even know who Joan Baez was. Somehow this was the funniest thing in the world to Alex, and he laughed so happily, right on the spot coming up with a song about Miles had never listened to Joan Baez. Both of them were flushed in the freezing night, but neither seemed to think of turning back._

_“You really should listen to her songs, Miles. Joan’s vocal is magnificent.” Alex cheered. He was paying little attention to the white ground. It was inevitable that he would step into a hidden sag and lose his balance – Alex staggered and almost fell facedown, if not for Miles to pull him back._

_Only then did Jan notice that they were holding hands._

_Through the leather gloves, their hands clamped so tight that it hurt to look at. The lamp in Alex’s hand shook dangerously, so did the light. Miles stepped forwards and held him close, one arm around Alex’s waist. They exchanged some mumbled words, which melted into laughter, and then into a kiss._

_Jan was so taken back that he almost screamed. In church and at school, the boy was taught that this was wrong. It was a sin that God forbade._

“I did a horrible thing! God, I still think about it every night.” The man wailed, “I- I pulled the trigger.”

It would be an absolute lie for me to say that I did not feel a strong repulsion, simply from imaging what happened. However, I could also see that Jan was filled with remorse. There were tears of shame in his eyes when he continued to offer me more details.

“I didn’t aim at anyone. But it was more than an attempt to let out my anger. It was a threat, and I didn’t fully realize how bad it was until much later…”

_A gunshot was enough to break them apart. Alex dropped the lamp in shock, and instantly the wood was dimmed to horrifying darkness. Confused curses filled the silence, and the little boy didn’t understand what he just did until Miles managed to relight the lamp._

_“Who’s there? Who’s over there? Hey, don’t fucking think about runnin-” the taller man shouted out with desperate menace. It took them seconds to find Jan, but after seeing the face of an innocent-looking kid, Miles glared at him as if Jan was the devil himself._

_He saw the shotgun Jan was holding with shaky hands. “Jesus fucking Christ,” the man gasped, “I’m so gonna-”_

_“Miles, don’t.” Alex put a hand on his shoulder firmly, holding Miles back. Jan stared at them both with horror. “He’s just a kid.”_

_“Just a kid? Alex, he could’ve shot you!” Miles yelled in disbelief. Alex pressed a finger up to his own lips, shushing him with a warning look. It worked wonders. Miles was still livid, but he backed off._

_“I’m sure it’s an accident. He’s barely as tall as the gun, and all alone in the forest.” The man with soft curls and an even softer heart bent down to ask Jan, “Hey, where do you live, kiddo? It’s in the middle of a night…”_

According to Jan, Alex was quite fluent in German. “I had to pretend that I didn’t speak English. It was the very way that he dealt with me, you know, walked me back to the cabin, told me to lock the doors and waited inside…it broke me. He even promised to drop by tomorrow to check if I’ve got company.”

I was stunned to silence. Alex must have sensed that it was nothing but an accident. Sadly, that was the same year when _Sexual Offences Act 1967_ was published. I could only guess this incident had shaken both of them to the core.

“Did they really come back?”

“Yes. My master was home. He invited them in for a drink, but they declined.” Jan looked down into his hands, before shielding his face with them. “I run out to hug him. I didn’t know what had gotten into me, but it was a spontaneous decision. I was crying like crazy. Mr. Turner was very patient with me.”

_That night Jan barely slept. His ears hurt from the gunshot, and so did his conscience. It was such a relief when Alex patted him on the head and told him it was no big deal, but he only felt the redemption was gifted to him afterwards, when he retrieved back onto the stairs, was about to went back in and Miles, who was standing a few meters away and kept silent for this whole time, called him._

_“Oi, kid, wait a sec.” Miles didn’t care if Jan understood English or not. Alex seemed a bit uneasy when he approached, but Miles simply rolled his eyes at him. Miles took out a chocolate bar from his pocket and shoved it into Jan’s hand. “Here you go. Me fav flavour.”_

“They left like that, laughing and joking together, as if nothing had happened.” Jan took in a deep breath. His tear-stained face suddenly seemed much younger, lighter, after the first time he had ever told the story to another living soul. “I enjoyed their music a lot growing up. Never realized it was those two guys until I saw a TV broadcast of Arctic Monkeys playing. I was no longer that person, and I tried my best to help. I- I donate, I go on the street with my kids. I guess what I always want is just…forgiveness.”

In the end, I held his hands to calm him down. It was not my place to forgive a kid for his ignorance. But I think everyone who’s read till this page will come to the same conclusion as I did - Jan has already been forgiven.

+

The last person took the initiative coming to me.

I’ve met Alexa Chung through work a handful of times before she retired to be the coolest senior lady in London. She’s also the only narrator whose personal life was entangled tightly with Alex and Miles: Alexa dated Alex in her early twenties. Alex married her three years after Miles passed away. The marriage lasted for a decade before they had a low-pitched divorce.

“You can say I’m here because the big guy himself can’t bother to explain himself. I’m sure there’re tons of speculations out there about our relationship being fake or I’m tricked into marriage, this and that.” Alexa made a sign of annoyance with her eyebrows.

I broke it to her that there were rumours far more bizarre than those.

“Oh yeah, I can imagine, but I don’t want to hurt my brain too much.” She looked down and gave a sigh. “I already knew Al was bi when I first began to date him. I just didn’t know how serious it was for him, and I didn’t think out of all the lads he would fall for Miles.”

“Was it because Miles said nasty things about him to the press?” I reckoned.

Alexa laughed. “Some of those things Miles came up with were hilarious, you have to admit! Al’s mates hated Miles for a while, but Alex never spoke ill of him. I thought it was only because of his nature, turned out it was much more than good manners. No, it was because Miles was…Miles. He was not openly gay, but he made it difficult for you to not wonder, you see. I’m among the few who knew that Alex was seeing someone. He was so cautious about it. I assumed he was dating a man that’s less reckless.”

“You were good friends with Miles as well. You didn’t have a clue?”

“Not in the beginning, no.” Alexa’s eyes saddened at the mention of their friendship. “But later I suspected, because he knew the lyrics of monkey’s songs so bloody well, it’s ridiculous. Alex doesn’t make it easy to remember his words, but Miles could sing along to every single one of his song.”

Here is a trivial yet vital detail for us, knowing that they adore each other’s music as well as each other’s company. The mutual respect and admiration eventually gave birth to The Last Shadow Puppets, and it’s a stunning secret project to ever exist.

Alexa had a vivid memory of the day she busted the lie. At that time, she and Alex were no longer together. Alex was late for a tea party held by a friend of hers, and Alexa fancied to leave early. “I was gonna check on him. It’s not planned. What I came across was a very pissed off Miles coming out of Al’s flat. He didn’t see me, took a different staircase. I was speechless when Alex opened the door. He wasn’t looking all so appealing, one could say. In the 80s there was a setback socially for people like him, and also the pressure coming from his manager, let alone his family…it was terrible timing.” Alexa pinched her nose with a bitter expression. “I was selfish. I love him, as a friend, as a family member, you name it. So I asked him what had happened.”

_“What, it’s not obvious?” Alex was stressed to a point that he couldn’t stop pulling at his own hair. “I just had the best fight in my whole life, wonderful experience, totally deserved it.”_

_He didn’t phrase it as a breakup, so it was probably not that bad. Nonetheless, Alexa couldn’t recall a time when Alex was this devastated after any arguments. “With Miles Kane?” she implied, “Was he just here to fight you?”_

_“Would you believe me if I say yes?” Alex asked. At that very moment, he got that stupidly brave and careless look, one that screamed he was about to say it out loud and clear. He was about to tell her that he loved him, that he had probably loved him for many, many years - Fear and worry got into Alexa so quickly that it left her dizzy. She silenced Alex with her hand and grabbed at his shoulder, trying to shake him awake._

_“I – will – believe – it! I will and you will keep saying that to anyone who would buy it too. Say that you hate his guts, you’re no friends, whatever. You understand me? Don’t be silly, Al, you can’t-”_

_“Why does everyone keep telling me that I can’t? Look at me, Alexa! I’m like a fucking overgrown kid who’s not allowed to make his own decision!” His outburst ended up on a heart-wrenching sob. Alex fell back on the sofa. “How can I keep him in my life if all I do is lying?”_

_“If that guy loves you, he’d understand.” For a moment Alexa suspected that Miles had threatened to leave Alex if he didn’t come out, or any sorts of emotional blackmailing that could be done. But when Alex buried his face onto her shoulder and cried, she was told that was never the case._

_“I just…I don’t wanna make him understand anymore,” confessed Alex in a helpless voice. “It’s killing him. I know it and I can’t even look at him in the face.”_

_She then realized this time Alex had given out his heart wholly._

“I told him it was not your fault.”

I restated the fact. “Surely it wasn’t.”

“It was mine, partly.” Said Alexa. “Don’t look me like that. Everyone around Al who knew about them thinks so, too. I know how much he regretted not shouting out their relationship to the roof top when Miles was still here. He was barely in there the first couple of months after Miles’ funeral. Looking back, I really should be more encouraging. We always thought there’s still time, they could wait for a better world to come. I know nobody saw the air crush coming but… it’s a hard time for all of us.”

I passed her a tissue. It was hard to bear the fault of a dark era on one’s own shoulder, no matter how strong one might be.

“We kept each other’s company. It was easy for me to understand Al and vise versa. You can rebuild romance easily on pain and sorrow, so as the deepest wounds start to heal, we got married. Sadly, for you people, there’s no cheating or tricking involved. I know, unexciting. The plot twist was that I fell in love again before my 50s birthday. It was so difficult to get an online divorce with Alex. God, I had to do all the paperwork with real paper!”

We had a good laugh, panicking over getting left behind by modern technology. Alexa decided to share with me the last time she met with Miles backstage after his gig. He had a letter for Alex. She volunteered to pass it on to him.

_“You sure you don’t want to do the delivery yourself?”_

_Miles blinked at her under the dazzling light and shouted over the noisy music. “Not tonight. Look outside! I might end up leading the paparazzi to his door. Better not risk that.”_

_The carefulness didn’t sound like him at all. Some horrifying thoughts hit Alexa right to the chest and took away her smile. “You have a good point.”_

_“Oh, I’ll be honest with you, Alexa. I think about doing it on purpose from time to time.” Miles arched forward and lowered his voice smugly. “Al won’t even be angry at me, not for long anyway.”_

_Alexa snorted. She felt her stomach growing heavy but tried not to show. “You bet.”_

_“Knowing that has stopped me every time, including this one.” Miles slid the letter into her handbag. He chuckled with all the seriousness he could gather. “I’d never do him any harm.”_

Before we said our goodbyes, Alexa brought me a belated present from Mr. Turner, the most precious gift I’ve ever received. “He surprised me with this decision, too. Treat those nicely, alright?” With that, Alexa gave me the complete copies of all their letters, originally written on a piece of paper, the back of a napkin, a cigarette case… I’d never portrait Alex Turner as someone who would want a closure or a memento of his love life. But maybe a book of letters can be a perfect alternative to a bunch of flowers against a tombstone - It’s a free love revival.

I’m sure you’ve had enough of this preface and probably begin to doubt if this book is actually a weirdly packaged romantic drama. I’d love for you to think it as a treasure hunt for love, finished by many hearts bound together through music made from a certain romance. It’s a bittersweet reminder that we’ve come all this way to a time of understanding and freedom, and we still have a long way to go.

+END+

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably one of my favourite fics I've ever finished. I'd love to know what you think of it! Comments are well appreciated x 
> 
> As always, thank you so much for reading :)


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